Having just battled my way through most of the first two movements of Lachner's 5th (on Marco Polo), what strikes me is the relative slackness of the performance, especially after a few days of listening carefully to Nos.3, 4 and 6 on cpo. And so the question that arises is this: would a possible Schmalfuss recording be a significant improvement (based on what we know of his approach), or is the problem, if there is one, inherent in the work itself?
Some works have live performances preserved on YouTube or similar that could be compared but this does not seem to be one of them, similarly with the 8th symphony...
Yes, that's the problem, Eric. There's just no competition. So we have to put up with second-best.
I am sure that any cpo recording would be taken at a much faster pace. At the moment, Alan, to quote Lord Sugar, you are "struggling" to understand how this Symphony carried off the prize.
As you know, I have a strong emotional attachment to the Marco Polo rendition. I must have listened to it about a hundred times during the very prolonged Spanish lockdown. And it is my "go-to" piece on YouTube when I want to be soothed. But I recognise that it is a (very) acquired taste!
Just like terry martyn, I am very attached to the Marco Polo's "Passionata"..I don't forget that for a very long time theirs was the only Lachner we had. But I agree, the performance is pretty flabby, and while I love the piece, I recognize that if a symphony needs a taut performance, it's this one. It really would benefit from a Schmalfuss redoing, just like (actually even more) the Orchestral Suites, where in the fugues the Polish strings are untight and scrawny. On the other hand, I feel that the Marco Polo's 8th (my favorite Lachner symphony so far) is pretty well done.
I think we have to remember how pioneering so many Marco Polo releases were thirty-odd years ago. I've no idea how many more Lachner symphonies Schmalfuss might have recorded, if any, but we surely need some replacements for the venerable MP performances.
QuoteHaving just battled my way through most of the first two movements of Lachner's 5th (on Marco Polo), what strikes me is the relative slackness of the performance
I think you make a very good point. There is no doubt in my mind that the Symphony No. 5 is too long for its material, but I have always felt that a tighter performance might make it work a lot better, and Schmalfuss might be just the man to provide one. I really hope so. His performances of 3 & 6 are certainly punchy and the music really seems to come alive.
I've honestly tried hard with Robinson in this symphony but he doesn't really do enough with the music. Schmalfuss strikes me as the better conductor - and he has the better orchestra at his disposal. Superior string section especially, so important in this music.